Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-07-22
TIE NEWS IN BRIEE.

II - y NV - IN bNl EEs
Starvation In Labrador.
Rev. Frank W. Colley, missionary at
Labrador, writes a letter giving a graphic
account of heart-rcnding destitution pre-
vailing there. He has travelled the whole
coast and declares that words cannot de
scribe the sufrerings Of the poor. He tells
Of families Of helpless old people and equal
ly helpless children enduring the rigors VI
the late winter with the Thermometer -
below zero, living in huts, sleeping on bare
ground, covered only with old sails and
subsisting on rock cod, the poorest kind Of
Goldfish known, and on hard tack supplied
by the government To catch the fish the
perishing people had TO travel five miles
over bare rocks. Bread, tea, molnsses,
flour, meat of any kind or any Of the nee
essaries of life are unknown TO them. Slow
starvation had driven the father Of one
family mad and the poor wretch had been
trying TO eat his own boots The puny cod
for breakfast, dinner and supper, weeks
npon weeks and months upon months, while
keeping the poor wretches from actual
death, only served to be a daily torture 10
them, and was Of itself enough to drive
the whole population into raving maniacs
Missionary Colley declares that he was i'm
plored for help at every second house visit
ed in all the vast region. The inhabitants
were driven to such desperate straits that
wives and mothers even had sold their we'd
ding rings for bread At Grady's Stable
bay, Rocky bay Spotted island and Seal
island whole families were slowly starving
in January. How they existed through
the winter God only knows. The scantv
aid sent 10y the Newfoundland government
was distributed before half the winter was
over. Mr.. Colley declares that only fear
Of repetition Of the terrible suffering in
duces him now to make the terrible facts
public. large portion Of the coast is
sealed up by ice all winter long, and navi-
CATION at Cartwright, the missionary's home,
closed in October last and remained so un-
til the middle Of June. 1t is impossible for
the few who have money TO get supplies in
winter. The missionary himself accom-
panied two men 100 miles over the rocky
wilderness to get two barrels Of flour, but
could not get them Twenty miles further
on they got one barrel of the commonest
kind as a great favor by paying 80 80 In
times past the people Of Labrador lived on
the fat of the land game in variety and
seals were abundant, but now they have al
so failed. The missionary concludes Il
three-column narrative by demanding in
the name Of humanity that the Newfound
land government Immediately send relief
to that district and also provide means for
transporting the wretched people to some
other country
The Deadly IIeRt.
The excessive heat which has prevailed
in nearly all portions of the country during
the past week has had an unusually disas
trous effect in the large cities. and many
fatalities are reported by the daily papers
The mercury in many places rose on Sun.
day and Monday to over 100 degrees. In
Chicago 20 deaths from sunstroke were re.
ported Sunday and as many more Mondny
morning, and 2G3 babies less than a vear
old fell sick and died from the heat. There
were about l35 deaths of adults altogether
reported up 10 Monday noon. At Pittsburg.
Pa, 40 similar deaths have occurred since
Sunday morning Philadelphia reports that
with the single exception of July :, 1876
Sunday was the hottest day for over q
years Thirty cases of sunstroke occurred
on that day, IA Of which resulted fatally
and on Monday there were "a deaths in d
total of 40 cases, and < more occurred on
Tuesday. At Washington on Monday tn,
thermometer beat all previous records for
the month Of July since the establishment,
Of the signal service 10y climbing up 10 d
maximum Of l02.S degrees, and the onl,
day in any month since the weather bureau
was established on which a higher temper
allure was recorded was September :, ISL
when the mercury reached lO4 At Gin
clnnati l. fatal cases Of sunstroke occurred
ON Sunday and ~ on Monday. About II
cases Of prostration were reported at tn,
central police station during the day and
night of Tuesday with eight fatalities Tn,
excessive heat eliminated Monday night at
Wheeling. W. Va, in the most terrif,
storm ever witnessed there The rain anl
wind were heavy, demulishing shade tree,
and fences, and for an hour there was not
a seconds intermission between the hashe.
of lightning. At Grafton the lightning
killed Mrs. W. T. Carr and severely burn
ed her three children. Several building,
i'll the neighborhood were burned by light
ming. At New York the weather, though
close, was more moderate. At Lynchhurg
Va, and other portions of the south Mon
day was the hottest day ever recorded
The thermometer registered 1906 in tn,
shade and business was practically suspend
ad